A visit to Forster and beyond.
My most recent adventure took me to the beautiful town of Forster.
The area is known for it's beautiful beaches so I made sure I arrived early to have time to go exploring.
As you know I live in the mountains and it's rare I get to visit the ocean so when I do I go a bit snap happy!
At certain times of the year you can see whales splashing around in these waters.
and the waves leapt up to the occasion with dramatic splashes.
A beach of pebbles. Each one had it's own beauty and character.
I know photos don't have sound but maybe you can imagine how wonderful it was to hear the roar of the ocean, crashing of the waves, the seagulls calling. It was good for the soul to feel the sand between my toes.
This lady simply smiled throughout my beachy explorations.
I know I always say this but one of the fun parts of staying with a fellow quilter is having a quilt on the bed. I was welcomed with this lovely quilt made by my host Deborah Laurie using a Bonnie Hunter pattern. Such a scrappyluscious delight!!
I noticed this little raccoon peeking out at me.
The real reason for my visit to Forster was for a 2 day Whizz Bang Workshop with the Seaside Heritage Quilters. They were at the hall super early with bright happy smiles to greet me.
As you can see we had a lovely airy room with lots of light and space to spread out.
I found some hooks to hang my quilts.
Isn't it fun to see other peoples pretty pincushions. This is Deb's, so perfect for her because she enjoys a good cup of tea.
It was great to see we had 3 special limited edition Berninas in the class room . I love seeing these sewing machines with their colourful skins.
It was a very productive weekend resulting in lots of beautiful blocks. So many wonderful colours, fabrics and creative design choices. They look like a feast of delicious treats spread out on the table like this!!
Sending out a huge thanks to all the wonderful ladies who attended the workshop. Every single person was so welcoming and friendly. I felt as though I'd been part of the group forever. It was an absolute pleasure to see these beautiful blocks growing over our time together, and I know there will be some very special quilts and projects made with them
On Thursday morning I drove home in time to bake Hot Cross Buns.
It's a family tradition to eat these sweet, spicy fruit buns for breakfast on Good Friday. The shops are full of them but I like to make my own so I can add extra cinnamon, spices and fruit. Plus the smell of cooking fills the house with the most delicious scent.
They were even more tasty than usual served with Damson Plum jam made by a wonderful person who included a good dose of smiles in her special recipe.
It's been a lovely Easter weekend so far.. mostly spent getting things done on my computer but with sunshine giving the room a golden glow and a gentle breeze to cool me as I type.
I dusted off some Eastery photos from the Blue Mountain Daisy archives...
Upcoming Fun Times!!
AQC - The Australian Quilt Convention is on next week. I'm very sorry not to be going but I have other commitments begging my attention. I would have loved to catch up with lots of awesome friends and seen all the beautiful quilts. Wishing fabulous fun times to those who are going. Make sure you visit the Bernina stand to see the special costumes they've been working on.
This photo was taken at last years AQC by Karen of Sunburnt Quilts. You can tell by my big smile I was having a most wonderful time. Thank you Karen for this lovely photo.
I will, however, be in Victoria a bit later in the month in a town called Kyneton, just outside of Melbourne.
I am honoured to be the guest quilter and will have quite a few of my quilts on show at this quilt exhibition. There will also be quilts made by Lesley Vincent, the local quilting group and paintings by artist Caroline Mc Gregor. The great thing is that the show is running from 21st until the 29th April which gives people plenty of time to see it.
I'll be there all day on the 29th April so if you're in the neighbourhood it would be lovely to see you!
I'm also heading north again in a couple of weeks to see Lisa and the lovely quilters at Nesting Needles. I'm excited to be seeing everyone again and also because the shop will be in new premises in a beautiful town of Coramba. A big yellow building! It sounds as though it's perfect for a patchwork shop. Cant wait to see it!!
Some final photos...
Sunflowers are such an uplifting flower. You can't help but smile back at their sunny faces.
Happy seagulls watching the waves.
How lovely to have water rush up to playfully to kiss my toes before retreating back to the ocean leaving a trail of bubbles and wrinkles in the sand.
A little heart of stone waiting for a friend.
I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Easter!! Wishing you happy days until I'm back with more colourful bits and pieces from my dazzling daisy days.
10 Comments
Happy Easter and thanks for the eye candy. Your students outdid themselves...HOW I wish you would be able to visit us in the states. A dream come true for me...Susan
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous photo essay of your trip. The beach photos are just stunning you really captured the movement.
The pine burr blocks look like a delicious food buffet.
Hot cross buns - yum
So fun to revisit some of your Easter photos! Your quilts on hooks are beautiful all together--I'm sure fun was had by all! Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter! Wonderfull pictures. Thanks
ReplyDeleteJust wonderfully happy...and to think that I knew you when xoxo
ReplyDeleteWonderful pics! and Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteI tell you what, this teaching classes caper must be the best fun and the best excuse to see some wonderful places that you may not otherwise visit. I do enjoy tagging along. I can almost smell the hot cross buns..mmmmm. I tried to bake them once and they were a dismal failure. I should try again one year. I hope your Easter was enjoyable and you didn’t eat too much chocolate.
ReplyDeleteYou have the best and most colourful adventures Rachael! And I can smell those hot cross buns from here 😀 Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteYou are so busy. The beach location looks delightful and obviously put on great weather for you. Looks like another of your wonderful workshops was a giant success!!
ReplyDeleteNow those hot cross buns look delicious. I can just about smell the beautiful aroma.
Yes, AQC is sneaking up. Lovely to see that picture of you as a special reminder.
And I agree, the sunflowers have been gorgeous this year. Ours are just finishing and the seeds are being collected.
Thanks as always for sharing your wonderful photos.
Look at all the fun you've been having! Your workshops look like their a lot of fun and your photos are beautiful. Hope you had a wonderful Easter!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for leaving me a comment. Your kind words encourage me to keep sharing my work and stories.